Combination photographic printer and enlarger



1,527,883 c. A. LARE ET AL COMBINATION PHOTOGRAPHIHC PRINTER AND ENLARGER Feb. 24.

Filed July e, 1922 PatentedF eb. 24, 1925.

' VUNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

I A.- LABE AN!) .ARCHIE '.P. MACLELLAN, 0F BALTIMORI, MARYLAND.

COMBINATON PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTER AND ENLARGER.

Application led July 8, 1922. Serial No. 573,596.

" To all whom 'it concern.'

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. LARE and ARoHIn P. MACLELLAN, citizens of the United States, residing at. Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination Photographic Printers vand Enlargers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. This invention relates to photographic printing machines, and particularly to those machines designed for securing enlargements or contact prints.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a machine of this character which is very simple in structure and which may be, therefore, put upon the ymarket, at a relatively small price, the machine, however, being thoroughly effective sfor contact printing or enlarging.

A further object is to provide a photographic .printer of this character having a paper holder or sensitized paper'supporting sheet of glass at one end for enlarging purposes and having a separate andindependent meanswhereby contact prints, mayy be secured, there being one source vof illumination for both of these purposes.

A still further object is to provide a printer of this. character -having anegative carrier, a lens carrier and a paper holder, the body of the printer'havinga series of supports for' the lens carrier and a series of .supports for the paper holder which' are arranged in such relation to eachother that Vwhen the lens carrier is disposed in a certain one of its supports and the paper holder is disposed in a corresponding support, the lens will be accurately focused upon the paper and an enlargement be made of a certain definite size, and when the lens carrier is disposed in a certain other of its supports and the paper holder is disposed in a corresponding support, the lens will be.

focused upon the sensitized paper and an enlargement of another definite size will besecured, thus doing away with the necessity` of accurately focusing the lens each time that the distance is changed between the lens and the sensitized paper.

Another object is to provide a photographic printing machine of the character described which may be used for copying as well as photographic printing, and which may be used for border tinting.

Other objects will appear in the course graphic printing machine constructed in accordance with our invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof from front to rear;

Figure 3 is a face view mask 34.

Referring to Figures l and 2, it will be seen that our printing machine comprises the box or casing 10, which is rectangular in cross section and is closed at the top and may be made of sheet metal or in any other suitable manner. The upper portion of the box or casing on one side is closed by an upper elongated door. 11. Just below this door 11 there is formed a partitio1r12 lhaving a central opening 13. Below this partition 12 there is a relatively short downwardly and inwardly inclined sliding door -14 resting on a. cross piece 15, and below thiscross piece there is a downwardly and outwardly inclined wall 16 having an aperture 17 therein. The inner face of this wall 16 is provided with means for supporting a diffusion screen 1S behind the aperture 1T, and extending across this aperture is a glass plate 19 which maybe either an absolutely transparent -sheet of glass or may be of ground glass. The front of this wall v1G hasa ledge 20 or any other suitable means for supporting a negative and a sheet of sensitized paper.

Coacting with the opening 17 is a back or cover 21 formed as usual in two sections and hinged at 22 to the cross piece 15 which is adapted to be lowered against the glass plate to press the sheet of sensitized paper against the negative to secure a contact print. Preferably, and as illustrated, the two sections of the cover ory back 2l are op` eratively connected to each otherby a rod 23 which isfA hinged to the cross piece l5 and passes through an eye 24. on the extremity of the outer section of the cover so that this rod may be used for raising or lowering the cover. Suitable clamping devices are used for engaging this rod and holding the cover or back int-o close contact over its entire area with the negative and sensitized sheet. ln other words, the structure is exactly the same as in ordinary of the tinting photographic 'printing machines in this respect.

Disposed'within the upper portion of the body 10,.which body is open at its top, are a plurality of pairs of guides 24 shown as y U-shaped in cross section, each of these guides being adapted to receive a frame 25 supporting a ground glass platey 26 constituting a paper holder. lVe have illustrated four ot' these guides lettered A,.B, C and D. The lower portion of thecasing 10 above the partition l2 is also formed with a plurality of pairs ot' guides 24a and designated A', B', C', and D and adapted to be inserted in any pair of these guides is a lens carrier 27 having a lens 28 disposed at. its center. This lens is at all times in alignment with the axis of the opening 13.V

Disposed on a Ilevel with the cross bar 15 is a transversely extending partition 29 having a centralv opening in axial alignment with the lens, and attached to the under face ot' this partition 29 is any suitable means, as for instance the guides 30, for supporting a. diffusion screen 31. Attached to' the upper face of the'partition 29 are means, as for instance the guidesy 32, for supporting a negative 33 and a border tinting element 34, this element 34 consisting of a sheet of black cardboard'having a central. opening, the central opening being v1mme.

diately surrounded by a white border 35. The lower portion of the casing 10 below the'partition .29 is Aformed to Vprovide an air inlet passage 36, and the upper portion with an air outlet 36a, which opens upon the rear face of the casing and extends across the bottom of the casing nearly to the front face thereof and then opens into the lamp housing or lamp compartment 37 which is immediately below the Ipartition 29.

Disposed within this lamp compartment 37 is the electric lamp 38 which maybe of any suitable character. We have illustrated i an ordinary bulb lamp such as is commonly used in photographic printing machines, but

groove or we do'not wish to be limited to this, as mercury vapor lamps might be used or any other suitable lighting means, preferably electrical. Attached to the under side of the partition 12 are the electric lamps- 39 which are used forborder tinting or for illuminating a picture or other object to be copied.l

It will be seen that with this construction the paper holder 26 -is arranged in any one of the guides A, B,.C or D according to the Asize of the picture to be made and the lens carrier 27 is arranged in a corresponding groove. the paper holder is placed in, the groove -or guide A, the lens carrier is disposed in the guide A', If'the paper holder 26 is disposed in the,y guide B, then thelens carrier is disposed inthe guide B', and so' on. Thus the lens -isalways in focus when Thus, for instance, if'

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B and B', C and C', etc., give a diierent sized picture from the same negative and without the trouble of focusing and consequent loss of time. These guides A, B, C, D, A', B', C', and D' are arranged to give certain commonly used or standard sizes of enlargements.

lVhen it is desired that the enlargement shall have a tinted border, the lamps 39 are energized, which throw light down upon the border 35 and brilliantly illuminate it so that the image of this border is thrown upon the sensitized paper or the ground glass upon which the paper is supported and is printed on the sensitized papera I I' no border is desired, the lamps 39 are not used and thelamp 38 is the sole means of illumination. It will be understood, of course, thatthe lamp`38 may be energized and the lamps 39 de-energized, the picture printed, then the lamp 38 turned out andthe lamps 39 turned on to print the border or the lamps 38 and 39 may all be energized at the same time. The lamps 39 are also used when it is desired to copy a picture. In this case the lamp 38 is turned out, the picture to be copied is placed upon the negative holder, and the lamps 39 energized, which will brilliantly illuminate the picture, and the lens will focus the image of this picture upon the ground glass of the holder 29 and the picture may be copied in the usual manner. Here again the size of the picture will depend upon the relative arrangement oi the lens holder and the paper holder.

objects by placing the object upon a support carried by the negative holder 29 and then brilliantly illuminating this object by means of the lamps 39.

It'will be noted that we have provided two separate means for printing enlargements and for contact printing. The reason for this is that the ground glass of the paper holder 26 must have a relatively large area. As a consequence it cannot sustain any great amount of pressure and cannot sustain the pressure necessary to secure a contact print,

in such close'relation to the lamp 38 as to secure the proper illumination. Furthermore, the lens 28 would not bekused under these'circumstances and to use lthe paper Photographs may also be made of certainv .so placed and each set of guidesA and A', 'i

looV

.noris it possible to place this paper holder support '26 for contact printing would re- 120 quire that the devices within the body 10 be shifted. and changed to a. very great degree. By providing a contact printing structure composed of the parts 16, 17, 18, 19 and 2() on the wall of the lamp compartment 37,

we can use a relatively small ground glass plate. large enough for any ordinary contact printand dispose this plate at a distance from the lamp 38 which is always conetant/and at the same time secure the pressure which is necessary for contact printing Without any danger of breaking the ground glass 19.v Furthermore, such an arrangement brings the contact printing mecha-A nism in very convenient position to an operator sitting in a chair at the table.

The sliding door 20 permits negative changes to be made from contact position over the ground glass 19 to enlarging position on the negative supporting partition 29 and all this may bedone quickly and easily while the operator sits in one position.

We have not shown the switches whereby the lamps 38 and 39 are controlled, as these will be obvious. lamp 38 may be automatically de-energized upon opening the back 2l of the contact printing frame and be automatically deenergized by closing this back or door 21 against the ground glass plate 19. Ne have not illustrated this, however, as this is a common arrangement in printing machines. It will also be understood that while it is absolutely necessary that the sensitized paper and the negative be pressed closely together when contact printing is being done, that no such necessity exists with regard to enlarging and that in enlarging the sensitized paper may be placed upon the ground glassscreen or support 26 and then a piece of ordinary cardboard or anything of this nature laid upon the sheet, which will hold it firmly in position.

lVe have illustrated our printing machine as being vertical, but it will be understood that a horizontal printing machine may be constructed on exactly the same principle without departing in any way from the spirit of our invention. It will be obvious also that all of the minorY details may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and we do not wish to be limited to any particular form of negative holder, tinting mask holder, switches or the like.

We claim 1. A photographic printingmachine comprising a casing having an apertured parti tion adjacent one end, the partition having means for supporting a negative, one wall of said casing on one side of said partition being inclined and having an aperture, means for supporting a sheet of sensitized paperand a negative over said aperture, a cover adapted to be shifted into or out of position over the sensitized paper and negative, a lamp disposed in the casing adjacent said inclined wall and in line with the aperture through the partition, a series of pairs -of guides 'disposed in the casing adjacent the partition, a lens carrier adapted to be disposed in any one of said guides, a series of It is also obvious that thea sensitized paper support adapted to be dispo-sed in any one of said last named guides.

2. A photographic printing machine comprising a casing having an apertured partition adjacent one end, the partition having means for supporting a negative, one wall ot' said casing on one side of said partition being inclined and having an aperture, means tor supporting a sheet of sensitized paper and a negative over said aperture, a cover adapted to be shifted into or out of position over the sensitized paper and negative, a lamp disposed in the casing adjacent said inclined wall and in line with the aperture through the partition, a series of pairs of guides disposed in the casing adjacent the partition, a lens carrier adapted to be disposed in any one of said guides, a series of guides disposed at the opposite end of the easing, a sensitized paper support adapted to be disposed in any one of said last named guides, a partition disposed across the casing between the irst named partition and the lens carrier guides and having an aperture for the passage of light, lamps carried by said last named partition and facing toward the first named partition, and a door giving access to the space between the two partitions.

3. A photographic printing machine comprising a casing having an apertured partition adjacent one end, the partition having means for supporting a negative, one wall of said casing on one side of said partition being inclined and having an aperture,

means for supporting a sheet of sensitized paper and a negative over said aperture, a cover adapted to be shifted into or out of position over the sensitized paper and negative, a lamp disposed in the casing adjacent said inclined wall and in line with the aperture through the partition, a series of pairs of guides disposed in the casing adjacent the partition, a lens carrier adapted to be disposed in any one of said guides, a series of guides at the opposite end of the casing, a sensitized paper support adapted to be disposed in any one of said. last named guides, a partition disposed across the casing between the first named partition and the lens carrier guides and having an aperture for the passage of light, lamps carried by said last named partition and facing toward the first named partition, a door giving access to the space between the two partitions, and means for permitting the inlet and exit of air to the space within which the first named lamp is located.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aitix our signatures.

. CHARLES A. LARE.

ARCHIE P. MACLELLAN. 

